When you think about it, we have all had a healthy obsession and an unhealthy obsession of some kind – it’s what we humans do. An obsession means ‘an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind’. As you consider your life, there will be many examples, perhaps of both types – hobbies, people, creative activities, viewpoints, sports, music, work and so on. Each one of these could be seen as healthy or unhealthy depending on the extent that it consumes you to the detriment of other things in normal life – family, concentration, caring for yourself and for others. If a person becomes obsessed with money, sex, power, ideology or ‘self’, then a pandora’s box of dangers is opened up. Indulging in these leads to destructive forces of greed, compulsive pornography, jealousies and even murderous thoughts. Are you aware of any harmful obsessions or things that might be heading that way in your life? The guy in the photo is a pretty keen detectorist, out with his metal detector as light has faded – what’s going on in his mind and in his life? Obsessed with ‘a big find’ or just killing time?
- ‘Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment’ – Claude Monet
- ‘Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing’ – Elie Wiesel
- ‘In America, sex is an obsession, in other parts of the world it’s a fact’ – Marlene Dietrich
- ‘Being deeply contented with God in my everyday life is a focused attitude. It is always available. It means practicing letting go of my obsession with how I’m doing. It means training myself to learn to actually be present with people, and seeking to love them’ – John Ortberg
Eric Clapton was surely right when he observed that ‘an obsession is where something will not leave your mind’. Luxury perfume producers at Calvin Klein knew they were onto something when they selected ‘Obsession’ as the name for a fragrance. Apparently, there are 22 ‘notes’ in this intoxicating perfume including bergamot, jasmine, vanilla, myrrh and patchouli! The bottom line is that obsessions are powerful, determining and defining. You will find this not only in people around you but if you take a walk through the Bible.
Moses had a privileged upbringing in a palace but he couldn’t help himself killing an Egyptian as he was consumed with a sense of injustice. Despite living well away from the sea, Noah spent much of his life building a ship to the bewilderment of his neighbours. David had a wandering eye that lusted after the beautiful Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah to satisfy his craving. Judas was dishonest with money and betrayed Jesus for financial gain which led to his tragic suicide. There are many more examples in the gritty accounts contained in the Bible. Not all obsessions are bad and we are indeed encouraged to have some ‘holy obsessions’:
- ‘Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”’ – Matthew 22:37
- ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’ – Matthew 6:33
- ‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God’ – Psalm 42:1
- ‘Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things’ – Philippians 4:8
None of us would like our unhealthy obsessions published in social media for all to see. David had an even greater obsession than lust and that was his relationship with God. He grieved deeply for his wrongdoing and called out to God for forgiveness, a clean heart and a renewed relationship which you can read in the beauty of Psalm 51. Such was his love for God that he was found ‘dancing before the Lord with all his might’ as he worshipped in gratitude (2 Samuel 6:14-15). The Apostle Paul writes to his young friend Timothy telling him: ‘Watch your life and doctrine closely’ (1 Timothy 4:16). Why? It was because this ‘holy obsession’ would affect both him and those who observed his life. Your life may sadly sometimes collide with another person’s but more often it gently comes alongside and wafts something of your obsessions, that being the essence of who you are. You can bring ‘the aroma of Christ’ to people around you who will know they’ve walked into beauty as if it were into a flower shop (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). A metal detector will not pick up the pulse of your being – that is something only God can do.
If you reach the place where God becomes your ‘all in all’, that is a holy obsession, that is worship and it is very precious. Here’s a song to think about whether it is already your place or whether you’d like it to be: ‘You Are My All In All’, sung by Nicole Nordeman:
For more reading and thinking: https://connect4life.org.uk/c4l-boosters/soul-inner-being-discovery-mindfulness/
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